Measure Your Life In Love
by Liah Cauthon
Summary: How do you measure a year? Days, weeks, months? Minutes? Every thought of measuring in love? A KH II/RENT crossover. Parings include AkuRoku, Zemyx, MarluxiaxNamine, and mentions of 11x12.
1. Prolouge: Seasons of Love

**Measure Your Life In Love**

**Summary: **How do you measure a year? Days, weeks, months? Minutes?

Ever thought of measuring in love? A KH II/RENT crossover

**Disclaimer: **Do I look like Squeenix or Jonathan Larson? Didn't think so.

**Dedication:** To all those who burst out into song on the streets. To the Teagoers, to the theatre, but most of all, to La Vie Boheme!

A stage. Eight spotlights shine on eight people, showering them with luminescent glory.

Eight people whose lives were intertwined by fate. No two of them are alike.

A red-haired teacher, his malachite eyes outlined in kohl and accented with black inversed teardrops. A slate haired junkie, hair covering one ocean blue eye. A blond musician, his hair in some bizarre combination of mullet and Mohawk. A drag queen drummer, blonde hair spiked and swept to one side. A female lawyer, her professional outfit splattered with specks of paint. A tech junkie, her blonde hair slicked back and two antenna like strands held above her head. A wealthy man, his hair in a two-toned ponytail and one eye covered by an eye patch. A pink-haired diva, cold eyes sparkling with glitter and eye shadow.

The song begins with a piano in the background.

They sing.

"525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.

525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?"

Their souls are poured into the song, every feeling, every notion, every fiber.

Some sing with tears glittering in their eyes, others with emotion resounding from their voices.

"How about love? How about love? How about love?

Measure in love. Seasons of love. Seasons of love."

They fade out, and the lawyer sings a solo.

"525,600 minutes!

525,000 journeys to plan..

525,600 minutes - how do you measure

the life of a woman or man?"

The last note is held as the teacher starts to sing.

"In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.

In bridges he burned, or the way that she died?"

As the teacher breaks off, they all begin to sing again.

"It's time now to sing out, tho the story never ends.

Let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends.

Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love!

Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love."

The next lines are sung simultaneously, the lawyer, then everyone else.

"You've go to, you've go to remember the love. You know that love is a gift from up above. Share love, give love, spread love. Measure your life in love."

"Seasons of love, seasons of love."

"Measure your life in love."

"Seasons of love!"

It's short, I know. But it's only the prolouge, and I promise I'll try to make the next one longer.

Ja Ne,

Liah Cauthon.


	2. Act one: RENT

Summary: How do you measure a year? Days, weeks, months? Minutes?

Ever thought of measuring in love? A KH II/RENT crossover

Disclaimer: Do I look like Squeenix or Jonathan Larson? Didn't think so.

Dedication: To QQ/Qzil/Summer Snowstorm and Ari. And to Silver and Keeps for getting together.

0o0o0o0

The scene opens with bits of film, random shots from the city.

A voice is heard.

"December 24th, Nine PM Eastern Standard Time.

From here on in I shoot without a script.

See if anything comes of it, instead of my old shit."

The camera cuts off, showing a blonde woman, Larxene, holding up an old 16mm movie camera. She attaches it to the bicycle she's riding and pedals onto the street, heading back to the loft she shares with Demyx, her best friend.

"How do you document real life

When real life is getting more

Like fiction each day?"

She sings out, swerving into a side street.

"Headlines -- bread-lines

Blow my mind."

She gets off her bike and carries it towards the building.

"And now this deadline

'Eviction -- or pay'

Rent!"

Larxene rips an eviction notice from the door and goes inside, where Demyx is on the couch, tuning a guitar.

The two live in an industrial loft on the corner of 11th street and Avenue B, the top floor of what was once a music-publishing factory. Old rock 'n' roll posters hang on the walls. They have Demyx's picture advertising gigs at Tifa's and the Oblivion Club. An array of electrical appliances is plugged into one thick extension cord, which snakes its way out a window. Outside, a small tent city has sprung up in the lot next to the building.

"How do you write a song

When the chords sound wrong

Though they once sounded right and rare?"

Demyx sings, looking over a sheet of music.

"When the notes are sour

Where is the power

You once had to ignite the air?"

He gets off the couch and takes the notice from Larxene.

"We're hungry and frozen!"

She sings, sighing.

"Some life that we've chosen!"

He counters.

Larxene and Demyx start singing together, putting a trash can in the center of the room.

"How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

Last year's rent?"

Their answering machine picks up.

"Speak" ... _**Beeeep!**_

We zoom onto the front-door area of Larxene and Demyx's building.

Nearby is a battered public pay phone. Axel, an old friend of theirs, stands at the phone.

"Chestnuts roasting ---" He's cut off as Larxene answers the phone.

"Axel!" Demyx and Larxene both call out.

"I'm downstairs."

Larxene goes to the window and tosses Axel the keys, while Demyx continues the song.

"How do you start a fire

When there's nothing to burn

And it feels like something's stuck in your flue?"

The power shuts off, and Demyx goes over to the breaker box, which sparks when he flips a switch.

Larxene sings the next lines, lighting candles around the loft.

"How can you generate heat

When you can't feel your feet…"

Demyx joins in with her.

"And they're turning blue!"

"You light up a mean blaze"

Demyx rips several of his own posters off the wall and lights them on fire, tossing the pile into the can alongside the Eviction notice.

"With posters--"

Larxene gathers up old scripts and tosses them in.

"And screenplays."

They sing together again.

"How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

Last year's rent?"

0o0o0o0

We are shown Axel, who's been beaten up by thugs, who have stolen his jacket.

"How do you stay on your feet

When on every street

It's 'trick or treat'

And tonight it's 'trick'"

He stumbles into an alley, wiping blood off his mouth.

"'Welcome back to town'

Oh, I should lie down

Everything's brown

And uh -- oh

I feel sick."

He slumps up against a wall.

0o0o0o0

Larxene is at the window, waiting for Axel.

"Where is he?" she asks.

0o0o0o0

It cuts back to Axel, who is about to faint.

"Getting dizzy..."

He collapses.

0o0o0o0

Now it is back to Demyx and Larxene. Demyx is stoking the fire and Larxene is gathering up more paper for the fire.

"How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

Last year's rent?"

They sing together, sounding more defiant.

Larxene reads off a page from a screenplay.

"The music ignites the night with passionate fire."

She tosses it into the fire.

"The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit."

Demyx tosses another page.

Larxene pokes the papers with a stick.

"Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground…"

They both hold their hands above the can.

"And feel the heat of the future's glow!"

0o0o0o0

Outside, the owner of the building is pulling up in a range rover.

0o0o0o0

Larxene and Demyx grab the can and go outside to the stairs/balcony.

"How do you leave the past behind

When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart?

It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out

Till you're torn apart!

Rent!"

0o0o0o0

The tenants of the buildings on the block are gathered outside on balconies, tossing flaming eviction notices to the street.

The entire block sings the next verses

"How can you connect in an age

Where strangers, landlords, lovers

Your own blood cells betray?"

Larxene and Demyx turn the can upside down over the railing, letting the fiery contents fall to the street.

"What binds the fabric together

When the raging, shifting winds of change

Keep ripping away?"  
The owner, a man named Xigbar, gets out of his car.

"Draw a line in the sand

And then make a stand!"

He sings.

0o0o0o0

Back to Demyx and Larxene on the balcony.

"Use your camera to spar!"

"Use your guitar!"

0o0o0o0

"When they act tough - you call their bluff!"

The whole block is alive with people freezing themselves in the name of song.

"We're not gonna pay

We're not gonna pay

We're not gonna pay

Last year's rent

This year's rent

Next year's rent

Rent, rent, rent, rent, rent

We're not gonna pay rent!

'Cause everything is rent!"

0o0o0o0

Author's note: Okay, I'm stopping that here, so I don't try and write the whole thing at once. Enjoy and review!

-Ja Ne,

Liah Cauthon.


End file.
